Hurricane Melissa rapidly intensifying; upgraded to Category 2

In its 8:00 p.m bulletin on Saturday, the Met Service said a Hurricane Warning remains in effect for Jamaica as the system's maximum sustained winds have increased to near 155 km/h (100 mph), with higher gusts.

At 7:00 p.m., the centre of Hurricane Melissa was located about 168 kilometres (105 miles) south-southeast of Morant Point, or 210 kilometres (130 miles) southeast of Kingston.

It was moving slowly toward the west and a slow westward motion is expected tonight through the rest of the weekend. A turn to the north and northeast is forecast on Monday and Tuesday.

Rapid intensification is forecast to continue over the next couple of days, and Melissa is projected to become a major hurricane by Sunday and remain a major hurricane when making landfall in Jamaica by early next week.

At a special press briefing on Saturday, Evan Thompson, Principal Director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, warned that the storm would bring "significant, catastrophic, life-changing floods".